This may help, from:
UK ADP Land OPs.
Main Effort
0618. While Main Effort is not a principle of Mission Command, it is an essential concept that balances unity of effort and freedom of action. The Main Effort is a concentration of forces or means by which a commander seeks to bring about a decision. It is a mental tool to provide a focus for that activity which a commander considers crucial to the success of his mission. Unity of effort is enhanced through the selection and maintenance of the aim and concentration of force. Both are supported by designating a Main Effort.
0619. A Main Effort is given substance in three inter-related areas. The first is in the manner in which a force on the main effort is supported. This might require grouping extra combat power to the main effort and the allocation of priority for combat support and combat service support. The second area relates to the tasks and purposes given to commanders who are not on the main effort but have to support it directly or indirectly. This might include the employment of echelon forces and reserves and the sequencing of shaping, decisive and sustaining operations. The third area is the practical integration of main and supporting efforts into a concept of operations. This might require the narrowing of boundaries to concentrate force, requiring economy of effort elsewhere.
0620. Giving substance to a main effort is directly related to achieving a decision in tactical action. The Main Effort should be expressed as a single action together with the principal force undertaking that activity. A Main Effort described as ‘the seizure of Objective GOLD by 4th Armoured Brigade’ is more useful than ‘the seizure of Objective GOLD’ because it informs the force as a whole as to who should be supported. A land tactical commander should have only one Main Effort within the concept of operations for a given battle or engagement. It is mandatory for subordinates elsewhere to support the Main Effort, in order to ensure its success and hence the fulfilment of the higher commander’s intent. Commanders of combat, combat support, combat service support and command support elements should assume that they are to support the main effort unless specifically ordered otherwise.
0621. In combat, shifting the Main Effort is the principal means available to a commander to respond to a changing situation. By the simple articulation of a switch of Main Effort, subordinates should change the focus of their support without further detailed orders. This requires a thorough understanding of the concept of the Main Effort and particularly the duty of subordinates to support it in practical ways. The Main Effort should be shifted once the commander can identify a more effective manner of achieving his mission. The mission and the broad concept of operations remains the same but shifting the Main Effoto exploit an unexpected opportunity.
Bookmarks